About 180 students under quarantine amid measles outbreak in Williams County

WILLISTON, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – About 180 Williston-area students are isolating at home after three schools were notified by public health officials of measles exposure on their campuses.

Unvaccinated students at Missouri Ridge Elementary, Williston Middle School and Williston High School were told they need to isolate for 21 days to ensure they were not infected, said Paula Lankford, spokesperson for Williston Basin School District 7. The precaution is to prevent students from unknowingly spreading the virus to others.

Health officials on Tuesday confirmed nine cases of measles in Williams County in northwest North Dakota. Daphne Clark, spokesperson for the Upper Missouri District Health Unit, said the measles cases are considered part of an outbreak because health officials believe community spread is occurring without direct contact with known carriers of the illness.

Four people diagnosed with measles were in Williston schools while infectious, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said.

The entire campuses of the affected schools were considered exposed, Lankford said.

The quarantine requirement affects some unvaccinated fourth grade students who were touring Williston Middle School on the day of the exposure, Lankford said. It also affects a few other students who don’t attend the affected schools but shared a bus ride with an exposed student, she said.

“Each of the schools is going to work with those families that are excluded to ensure that they have educational opportunities for their kids and connections with teachers through digital means,” Lankford said.

The Williston school district has a total enrollment of about 5,300 students.

Lankford encouraged parents, students or community members to contact their school or health care provider if they have questions.

“What’s obviously on our side is that there is not that much school left,” Lankford said. “We are done here on May 23rd.”

If Williston High School seniors under quarantine do not show any symptoms after their 21-day isolation, they will be allowed to participate in graduation commencement at the end of May, she said.

Of the confirmed cases, two are children under 10; five are between ages 10 and 19; one is between 30 and 39 and one is between 40 and 49, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The first case reported Friday was a Williams County child who is believed to have contracted measles from an out-of-state visitor.

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rate for Williams County kindergarten students is 81% for the 2024-25 school year, down from 87% two years ago, according to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. The rate is 95% for seventh graders and 97% for 11th graders. Public health officials say 95% is needed to prevent community spread.

By Michael Achterling.